Today on the Hill: aboriginal families and traditional medicine

OTTAWA - Academics and legal experts are delving into the thorny issue of aboriginal parents refusing life-saving treatment for their children.

Today's conference at the University of Ottawa comes after a decision earlier this month by an Ontario judge, who ruled doctors cannot force an 11-year-old girl to resume chemotherapy to combat cancer.

The girl's mother has a right to treat the child with traditional aboriginal medicine instead, the judge ruled.

The decision could have wide-ranging implications for First Nations people across the country.

Supporters of the girl's family hailed the ruling as a victory. But others have condemned the decision as a death sentence.

Here are some other happenings expected in and around Ottawa today:

— The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. will map out its projections for the country's housing markets as it releases its third-quarter financial report;

— Statistics Canada takes a deeper look into the country's economy as it releases the Canadian economic accounts for the third quarter, the gross domestic product by industry for September and the industrial product and raw materials price indexes for October;

— Status of Women and Labour Minister Kellie Leitch, along with Ottawa's police chief Charles Bordeleau, will make an announcement on ending violence against women.